Chapter 10-2H

Young Queen Neherenia looked at her two followers, her face a mask of
disdain. "You are all too careless! I told you to destroy her right
away!"

Sailor Jares blinked a couple of times, then coughed out a little puff
of smoke. "A-*cough*-pologies, Queen Neherenia-sama."

In the far-off corner, the adopted Moon Princess lifted herself onto
her hands and knees. Grimacing, she gritted her teeth and stared intensely
at a single point on the floor. The yellow glow in her irises pulsed with
increased frequency and her breathing sharpened.

*Vrr*Vrr* A black shard phased its way out of the girl's left
eye, followed by another from her right.

*Kssh*Kssh* A moment later, the fragments disintegrated.

*Vrr-kssh*Vrr-kssh*Vrr-kssh*Vrr-kssh!* Several crystals fell out
of Terra's eyes, and her irises returned to their normal color.

The sailor-suited princess breathed a relieved sigh, and stood back up.
She put out her right hand, and with a flash of light, the Pink Sugar
Cardiac Arrest Glaive reappeared.

Terra resumed her attack stance. She cocked an eyebrow at the two Asteroid
Senshi. "Now, where were we?"

*SLASH*SLASH* The girl stumbled and her eyes bulged when she felt
twenty sharp blades slice their way across her back with tremendous force.
She dove down and rolled forward to escape whatever was doing that. "ARGH!"

A pair of eerie, windy giggles erupted from the darkness. Out of the
shadows stepped a pair of crystalline golems whose appearance and figure
approximated that of Neherenia. Their hair was about half the length of
the queen's, and there were no distinguishing marks on their bodies. They
also had sharp six-inch-long black claws at the ends of their fingers.

Terra checked her wounds. The slashes had ripped through her outfit and
the cuts were deep, but bloodless.

Sealing
blood vessels… Owwwwwwwwwwww!

Show no weakness!

Show no mercy!

Show no
thigh!

Whaaaat?! With THIS skirt?

Yeesh. Boots with
a miniskirt…

Do you realize what I look
like in this outfit?

A strawberry and vanilla ice cream cone with a cherry on top?

Mmmmmm. Yeah…

I'd look a lot better in
it if my humanoid development status were advanced to post-adolescence…

Containment
device is nontoxic. We have the advantage of surprise on our hands, let's
not waste it.

Be waiting for the appropriate time, then.

Wake me up when
we're ready.

We're ready.

What? Already?!

Neherenia sighed and took several slow, purposeful steps back to sit
down on her throne. "Now do you see why I told you three to be so
very careful while abducting her?"

Sailors Akis and Jares nodded grimly, still kneeling.

Jares sniffed sadly. "Catseye…" A tear formed at the edge
of her eye.

"Catseye was a buffoon!" Neherenia snapped. "It would
be best to forget about him."

JareJare tilted her head downward in halfhearted agreement.

AkiAki pushed her gem-studded turban back into place. "Is it true,
Neherenia-sama, about what they've said about her?" She looked toward
the motionless girl suspended in the mirror. "Is she really—"

"She is," Neherenia replied, "an ancient creature of darkness
that has come to destroy us all."

"But," JareJare began, looking at her queen, "if she's
truly so evil, then why would Queen Serenity adopt her as her daughter?"

The seated young woman slapped her hand against the aim of the throne.
"Do NOT mention that name again."

Sailor Jares jumped back a little. She demonstrated surprising quickness,
especially considering her recent injuries at Terra's hands. "N-no,
Queen Neherenia-sama, I will not mention the accursed White Moon Queen's
name again in your presence— please forgive me!"

Neherenia relaxed slightly. "Good. In answer to your question, the
White Moon Queen is obviously unaware of this being's true nature, else
she is being controlled by it." She examined her handiwork in sealing
away the girl in question. "However, the most important thing is
that when all is revealed to the rulers of the solar system, the White
Moon Queen will be discredited for harboring such a beast, and I will
be—" she paused, unable to think of the proper words, "I
will be—"

"Supreme ruler over all of the solar system, m'lady?" AkiAki
suggested.

The pale girl looked upward, stars in her eyes. "Yes!"

"But you have your special mirror that keeps you company all of
the time," JareJare protested, swaying back and forth, obviously
experiencing an extreme form of vertigo. "What do you need with the
solar system?"

Young Queen Neherenia held a hand to her chin, pondering JareJare's insight.
"That is a good question…"

"Do you really want to rule solar system?" Jares ventured to
ask. "Aren't we more into this to get rid of the evil and save
the solar system, Queen Neherenia-sama?"

"That does sound like a better reason," Akis added. Her expression
was very serious, and for once she did not seem to be in the mood for
any laughter.

Oh my…

They know my dirty
little secret!

Oh no, they've figured it
out!

Naaaaaaaaaaw, really?!

Geeee, THERE'S
a big surprise! As if we weren't being obvious enough or something. Maybe
we should've been shouting it from the hilltops— nobody would have
noticed! It's just—

Quiet, you!

Well, that has been the
main driving force behind the other assassination attempts during the
past year.

Think there's a connection between them?

There might be.

Think I should
thank them? I mean, they ARE about the only source of entertainment I'd
had since Starlight helped fight off that Drazi invasion force…

Oh, yes, that was quite fun… Wait a sec, THANK THEM?!

Yeah!

Weeeeeeeeeell, considering
that, right now, the buggers're tryin' to kill us and have a decent chance
of achieving their goal…

Uhh, right! How about
a thank you card? From a safe distance?

Hmm, let me think about that one— NO!

Awww!

Wait a minute. Just how sure are they that I am who I really am? Do
they know, or are they just guessing, going off rumors and hints?

Shhh, they're just about
to reveal it all!

"When we began this st-struggle a year ago," Sailor Jares slurred,
"I was under the impreshessshion that we would be secretly defendedinging
the solar system from the threatet-tie. I know that our first attem-attem-attem…
TRIES were not successesseful. The robot wos too easily beaten by some
vigilante from outside a'da soler systum, and nothing else we've sent
even got close to har."

Sailor Akis waved for her mentally damaged companion to keep quiet. "What
Sailor Jares is trying to ask is what we plan on doing with Princess Terra,
now that we finally have her."

The acrobatic Asteroid Senshi bounced up and down in agreement. "Right!
Something like that. What shall we do?"

Neherenia cleared her throat in a dark, ominous way that only few can
manage to perform. "We shall do the same thing we have planned to
do from the beginning, Sailor Jares. All of you have failed so badly in
the past, so the task falls to me."

"Oh," replied the still semi-coherent Sailor Jares, ignoring
the fact that the edges of her outfit were still slowly burning from her
experience with Terra. "Dat makes sense." She looked down and
stuck out her lower lip, pouting.

Okay, so they're planning
on killing us.

I sorta knew that already.

Oh no, look! Jares' condition
is degrading! If she doesn't get some help soon, she'll… she'll…

We did sort of slice out half of her brain, you know…

Good riddance!

Well, if she gets synaptic
therapy within the next few hours, she'll be back to normal in no time,
but if not… hey, one less threat.

Heh. Yeah, fortunately for us, right now the only one in the room
that is powerful enough to seriously hurt me is apparently taking a break.

That's funny. Neherenia doesn't
sound tired.

Why else hasn't she finished me?

Good question…

Maybe she likes garish
wall ornaments?

Could be…

Hmmmmmmmmmm,
sensors indicate that Neherenia is charging up an attack.

All right, initiating Preemptive Strike.

Atomic batteries to power!
Turbines to speed!

Lunar
Tap at maximum…

"Enough of this prattle," Neherenia spat. "I am ready."
In a fluid motion, she lifted herself off the throne and virtually floated
over to the mirror in which Princess Terra hung encased. "Now, monster,
is the moment when you die."

Queen Neherenia lifted a hand, charged with black lightning.

In the floating mirror, the Moon Princess's body jerked to face the enemy
trio.

*BLAAAAAAAAAAM!!!!* *WHAAAAAAAAAARRRSSH!!!!*

An intense whirlwind-fireball flared up around the mirror, vaporizing
it and spreading across the gigantic chamber.

"NO!" Jares and Akis shouted, diving in front of their queen
to absorb the blast.

*WHRRRROOOAAAAAR!!!* The blast wave parted in a V-shape around
the two Asteroid Senshi. They strained, huffed and puffed as they did
their best to resist the onslaught. Inch by inch, they skidded backwards,
closer and closer to their queen.

Neherenia shook her head, sighed and pointed her hand at the eye of the
storm.

*KEEEEEEEERACK!!!* A single bolt of black lightning flashed through
the fire.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" a ten-year-old's scream split the air.

*CRASH*WRRRrrrraaaaa* The energy around them slowed and dissipated,
allowing AkiAki and JareJare to take a breather. The smoke cleared to
reveal Super-Duper Sailor Chibimoon imbedded upside-down in the wall on
the other side of the chamber, her hair splayed out and a dazed expression
on her face.

In the next instant, the redhead had extracted herself from the dented
wall, rolled out of the way of a few slashes from the blue crystal golems,
retrieved the Pink Sugar Cardiac Arrest Glaive and pointed it at Neherenia.

*BLAM!* A swirling ball of black ribbons shot out from the Glaive's
blade at the young ruler. The recoil from the blast pushed Terra back
nearly a foot.

Without a word, Neherenia lifted a hand and sent another lightning bolt
at the girl.

The shock dashed Terra's attack to pieces and continued on to hit her
squarely in the chest.

"AAAAAAAH!" Terra screamed as she was again sent flying backwards,
her Glaive torn from her grasp. She hit the ground square on her rear
with a loud smack and skidded to a halt, lightly touching a pillar with
her back. "Owwwwwwww!"

"I do not know what is worse," Neherenia spat and advanced
a few steps forward, "your foul deeds, your pitiful defense,"
she hurled another wave of black energy at the girl, "OR YOUR SEETHING
ARROGANCE!!!"

*BZZZZZZZZZZRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOW!!!*

"Feel my power, o 'ancient one'!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Terra yelled, flailing around against
the pillar in genuine, writhing agony as the bolts tore through her.

Mercifully, the shocking stopped after a few moments.

Her eyes wide and her heart beating like the oscillation of a cesium
atom, Terra took a few quick, gasping breaths.

Oh… Okay. At… exactly… what point… did I lose control here?!

When were we in
control?

No…
there's no way!

She's… too strong!

I've seen worse!

A human… with so much… energy. How?!

Wheaties! It must
be! I'm doomed!

…?

Those bolts… that lightning…

It burns…
it burns through all my defenses!

Is it just me, or is this prism we're using really, REALLY pathetic,
even at second-level super modes?

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw! Really?!
Like, I had NO idea!

Exactly… exactly the
right frequency… Like Queen Serenity's crystal… I can't block it!

No, it's
ALMOST the same frequency as Serenity's crystal, but it's off by a bit…
but my defenses SHOULD have been able to blunt it at least SOME!

Well, it wouldn't have gotten through if a certain SOMEONE
hadn't punched a hole through them so big you could fly a Juraian battle
cruiser through it!

A side effect of using
Senshi powers, I'm afraid.

What?! You mean this dinky crystal's breaking down my real powers?!

Not breaking down. The
transformation is not toxic to us, but it does make us vulnerable.

And we just figured that out NOW?!

Yup!

Judging
from Queen Serenity's data, it would not appear that the designers of
Senshi powers had dark beings like ourself in mind when they met up and
sewed the sailor-suits together.

Well, shut it off!

No can do, liíl buddy.
Haven't figured out the de-transformation sequence yet.

We could still try to fight. Neherenia HAS to have some sort of weakness
somewhere. They all do. Everyone does.

I don't know, I can't take
many more of those bolts…

They make my human
body feels like it's being stabbed and twisted and all that nasty stuff…

It damages my true being…
I was already badly wounded from my first encounter with this sort of
energy. We're about twice as close to dying now as I was then.

We must fight and finish them before it is too late.

All the attacks we are
capable of producing were repelled.

We cannot
win this fight.

!@$#TF$ %^#@$%
#$^@$#^ @^@$ ^@#$ ^@#%^@!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I CAN DEFFFEEAAAT
AAAANY SSSMALL CREATURRRE I CHOOSSSSSE!!!

Super-Duper Sailor Chibimoon clenched her teeth, rolled on to her hands
and knees, and struggled to stand.

*THWACK!* In the next instant, Sailor Jares leapt at the girl
and planted the heel of her right boot into Terra's cheek. "Jarekick!"

"ACK!" Terra was knocked to the floor once more.

"Jarenet!"

A net composed of magical blue fibers glowed into place underneath the
fallen girl, then suddenly sprang upward and entangled her within it.

Sailor Akis, her eyes narrowed, pulled out her weapon and pointed it
at Terra. "Akis Akiray!"

*BLAAAM!* The focused shot exploded around the girl, burning away
the net and sending her limply spinning downward.

"Ohhhh," Terra groaned in a small, weak voice.

"You'll pay for what you did to Catseye!" Jares shrieked, and
grabbed Terra's leg.

*SNAP!* Super-Duper Sailor Chibimoon grabbed JareJare's neck.

*CRUUUNCH!!!* Terra went pale. She went limp and released her
grip. Her mouth opened wide in shock as she looked down to see her leg,
from the knee, bent seventy degrees in the wrong direction.

Neherenia's two golems dove down to assist in the scuffle.

Terra's left shoulder-guards were split and her upper-arm filled with
big, long, deep, bloodless gashes.

Summoning what strength she had left, the apparent ten-year-old held
out both hands and growled, "Bakusaaaaaaaaaai Tenketsu!" She
smashed her index fingers into the golems.

*CRASSSSH!* The crystalline women instantly exploded into a thousand
sparkling fragments, which spread out across the room in a double V-shaped
pattern. Super-Duper Sailor Chibimoon then delivered a sucker-punch to
Jares' chin.

"Owwww!" Jares stumbled backward, holding her jaw.

*KERACKKKKKKKKKK* Then, yet another bolt of black lightning blasted
Terra into the wall again. She fell onto her back this time, to see a
dozen more giggling crystal Neherenia clones grinning down at her.

Neherenia edged closer to her prey, a cruel smile crossing her lips as
she watched the little one suffer.

My survival is your survival.

…

You were created to serve me.

…

If I die, you will soon follow.

What do I need to do?

You are near the Gate of Time and have its Guardian very close. Dispose
of the Guardian and use the Gate to warn us of the assassination attempt.
A split second in the past is all that will be necessary to send the message.

Dispose of…?! That's my WIFE you're talking about!

Correct. Not even the Senshi of Pluto would suspect such a thing at
this point. Do it.

I will not!

If you do not, we will die.

I love her more than life itself!!!

Terra's struggling form let off a low, burning growl.

Neherenia seemed amused. "Are you still trying to win? How extraordinary!"

There is no 'you.' There is only 'we' and 'I.'

Find another plan. I'm not hurting her!

There is no other plan. Your vessel is not equipped for time travel,
and it would take too long to construct a device to send the message.
You do not have enough energy by yourself to do it. For all intents and
purposes, we are already dead. You will go back to reclaim our life.

NO!

YES!

NOOOOO!!!

You will obey.

I'll resist you!

We will carry out our mission.

I have my free will! I'm strong to fight you off!

Your will is my will, minion.

…

My desires are your desires. Not the other way around.

But… I. Love. Her!

We do not concur.

…

You are but an energy construct. You have no will. Your will is mine.
Our wills are one. Our will is to dispose of Sailor Pluto and take control
of the Gate of Time.

…

Move it, flunky!

…

Resistance is futile.

…

All your base are belong to us.

What you say?!

You have no chance to survive. Make your time.

…

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! ! !

Sailor Jares looked down at the girl, puzzled as to why it seemed that
she was fighting and had just concluded some sort of intense, bitter internal
with herself. Terra breathed an exhausted sigh and tried to stand, but
found that her rent knee-joint was not up to the task.

The girl's facial muscles tensed. She held her side to make the others
believe that the pitiful physical attack had really hurt. In fact, it
did, but it was nothing compared to the damage that Neherenia's lightning
had caused. "Unnnh!" She sat up as best she could, grimacing.

Three minutes, she calculated. All I need are three minutes
time for Starlight to get rid of the Guardian and use the Gate. Aloud,
she called to Queen Neherenia, "All right," Terra breathed hard,
"I've fought you and found your inane little powers useless and hilarious.
I'm willing to negotiate terms of your surrender!"

The black-clad, pale-skinned queen of darkness stared at her, as did
the two Asteroid Senshi.

"Surrender now, and I might let you live," Terra repeated,
lunging forward and swinging her arm and hand in a clawing motion. "Pitiful
little creatures!"

Neherenia shook her head and her lips twisted into a snarl.

Please let it work, please let it work, Terra prayed to whoever
might be listening, bracing herself for the worst.

Somewhere, in a trans-cosmic role-playing game that is beyond all comprehension
by ordinary mortals, the Lord of Nightmares rolled a pair of dice. As
they landed, She frowned at the results. Across the Table, the Great
Green Arkleseizure snickered at Her.

Soon afterward, L-sama threw a fit, tore up all Her cards, knocked
over the table and refused to play anymore, going off into the corner
to pout.

The sixteen-year-old queen's expression softened and she started to giggle.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee!"

Sailor Jares thought about it for a second, then chuckled along with
her queen.

Sailor Akis frowned for several moments, but finally got whatever joke
it was that the other two were laughing about. "KAH KAH-KAH-KAH-KAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Yes!" Terra whispered, clenching her fist in triumph. She
crawled away as fast as she could.

Queen Neherenia threw her head back as her giggles intensified into a
loud, malevolent chuckle. Her two companions were similarly affected.

"OH!" Jares laughed a deep belly laugh. "THAT's rich!
Hah hah!"

"BWAHA-HA-HA-HA-HAA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"KAH-KAH-KAH-KAAAAAH!"

"Hah! Ha-ha-hah!"

Terra hurried over to hide behind Neherenia's throne. Trying to breathe
as quietly as she could manage, she dialed up her Knight in Shining Armor.

Status report!

I refuse to fight my dearest love any longer!

Terra groaned, her back to the throne. Oh, don't start THAT again!

I mean it!

Your will is irrelevant, minion! Get through to the Gate.

"Stupid distracted energy construct, I should have made it a neuter,"
Terra muttered as she effortlessly squashed the new rebellion through
quick exercise of her inner being. Now get back to work.

…Yes. Our will be done.

That's better.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the throne, the trio continued their
jittery bouts of jocularity.

"OHO HO HO HOOOOO!" Neherenia nearly doubled-over, desperately
holding her sternum in an effort to keep it from splitting apart.

"She," Jares said between hyena-ish fits, "thinks that—
hah hah hah!"

"Kak-kahkahkah-kaaaaah!"

Terra closed her eyes and concentrated, sending as much energy as she
could spare to aid her Knight in Shining Armor. Through the link, she
could tell that he was in trouble. By the closeness of a set of high-pitched,
eerie windy giggles, she could tell that he wasn't the only one.

The injured galactic destroyer rolled from her seated position, barely
avoiding the skewering claws of two blue crystal golems. Though laughing,
these minions did not seem to be impaired in any manner whatsoever.

The girl made a quick, sweeping glance, checking around her. In her few
seconds of carelessness, she had been surrounded by them.

Oh my…

Oh dear…

Oh @#%@…

Two golems grabbed each of her legs, another two got hold of her arms,
and one more made a quick, succinct slash at her heart with its claws.

Terra clenched her teeth.

*CHING!* A magical barrier sprang up a centimeter from the ten-year-old's
chest, deflecting the stabbing implements. One thing she really didn't
need right now was for her human body to die. That fragile carbon-based
shell was one of the only things protecting her true self at the moment.

*Ching-ting-ch-ch-ch-ching-ting!* Repeated attempts by the crystal
monsters resulted in the same effect. Giggling in their strange manner
and never dropping their smiles, they brought Terra around the throne
and threw her at the feet of their master.

*Whump* Terra's face slapped into the floor and she skidded along
the polished stone floor in front of Neherenia.

"Haa, eh-haah," the pale queen finally gained the upper hand
in her battle to stop laughing. She took several deep breaths and looked
down at the injured princess. In the next instant, her sense of humor
vanished. "So, you thought that such a simple mind trick as that
could save you?"

Terra glanced sideways at the young woman.

Uh oh…

She's powering another
bolt!

Shields!!!

*KRACKLE!* Black lighting lashed from Neherenia's fingertips,
blasting into the girl's body and sending her flying back several meters.

Princess Terrifying felt a pain beyond even what she had experienced
before assuming a human form.

AAAAAAAAAAH!!!

AAAAAAAAAAH!!!

AAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Shields were ineffective.

No kidding!!!

*CRASH!* Another bolt sent her against the wall.

IT'S BURNING ME AWAY!!!

@%##^$@ #%&^@$&
@$%& @$%&@$% &%!!!!!!!

*KRAAASH*CRACK *KERRRRRRRRACKLE-CRACKLE-KRACKLE-CRACKLE!!* Several
barrages more of the dark energy lashed out, knocking Terra every which
way.

Neherenia stopped, allowing her target to slump to the ground.

Terra found that her abilities to move had suddenly become seriously
hampered. "Ugh…"

Can't… move!

The sixteen-year-old queen of darkness walked ominously toward where
the redhead lay. She reached down and snapped a viselike grip around the
girl's neck, lifting her upwards and staring her in the eyes. "You
are mine."

Drained and damaged as she was, Terra could barely keep her eyes open.

This is the Atomic Starlight Knight, reporting failure.

Wh… what?

Sorry, I lost. My… The Senshi of Pluto lives,
nearly unharmed. Mission aborted: Mission was a failure. I'm returning
all the energy I have left over.

WHAT!?!

That's right.

Terra drew a breath as the small rush of power trickled through her.
She stared Neherenia straight in the eyes and frowned when she found out
how the battle for the time gate was conducted.

"Hey," Terra forced out through what, by now, should have been
a thoroughly crushed larynx, "c'mon, what kind of person would beat
up on an innocent little girl?" Little fragments of her glasses fell
off of her face as she spoke.

"HAH!"

"And you!" Terra glanced over to the Asteroid Senshi. "Why
are you helping her?"

Both Asteroid Senshi shot her an evil, pitiless glare. "Die!"

"Can't you see that this is wrong?" Terra choked as the grip
around her neck tightened. "Is this… is this…"

The air suddenly grew very still.

"Is THIS what you call honor?" a richly angry, deep voice asked.

Neherenia stopped, her expression growing puzzled. "What—"

*SHRIIIIIIOOOOOONG!* In the shadows, a yellow crescent moon illuminated
the handsome face of a blond man.

*KEEEERAAAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKKK!!!*SMACK!*THWACK!*
The man dashed forward and imbedded his knuckles deep into Neherenia's
cheek, snapping her head back. He followed up with a pair of kicks to
her stomach, knocking her down onto her throne.

Terra landed lightly on the floor. Exhausted, she could only watch as
the new fighter proceeded to make mincemeat out of her attackers. "Whoa…"

*BAM!*THWACK!*POW!* A punch, a kick and a knifehand
brought down Sailor Akis. "AAAAAAH!" *SLAM!*CRUNCH*WHAPP!*

"I," Neherenia began, trying to dab away the beyond-crimson-red
blood going down the side of her mouth, "am ridding the solar system
of its greatest threat. That is what I am doing!"

The blond guy, his crescent moon still glowing, glanced back at Terra,
who was looking very badly hurt and forlorn at the moment. He returned
his gaze to the woman. "Uh huh. Right, I believe you." His expression
reflected the opposite of his words.

"Believe it, Giles!" Neherenia demanded. "This girl is
a BEAST!"

"Yeah!" JareJare agreed with a cough. "She killed Catseye!
Giles, do you remember Catseye?" She pointed to a pile of ash off
in the corner.

"Catseye?!" Giles exclaimed, and shuddered. "Well, if
he was attacking this fine young Sailor Senshi along with you, I say:
good riddance!"

"Y-you can't mean that!" Jares cried.

"It does not matter!" Neherenia half-growled. She lifted her
hands toward the man, gathering together a portion of her immense powers.
"Die with her, if you like her so much!"

Giles took a two-foot-long by three-inch-wide leather scabbard off of
his back. The heavily worn, yet sturdy material showed signs of constant,
extended use.

"Ha!" Neherenia called back. "Even with your sword, you
are NO match for my powers now!"

*Shiiiinnnn!* The man grasped the sword's handle and began to
withdraw it. The exposed blade glittered a bright, gold color.

"Ah, I see you've found a new one, Giles. I am not impressed."

*SHIIIIIIINNN!* After about four feet of metal were exposed, the
blade kept on coming.

Neherenia's overconfident smirk shifted into a frown.

*ShhhhHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIINGG!!!* Finally, the sword's tip was
exposed. Giles tossed aside the scabbard and pointed his sword at the
young queen. *Vrrrooo-vrooo!* The massive blade hummed, ionizing
the air around it as it moved.

Terra's eyes sparkled in appreciation. "Hot dang…"

Su… SUGOI!!!

That's not a sword.
That's a SWORD, man!

I've seen better.

Hey, it's better
than that wussy junk the Juraians had!

True…

In total, the sword was about seven feet long and glowed with an immense,
rippling yellow energy. Arcane and detailed runes shimmered along its
edges. The elegantly decorated hilt curved upward in the shape of a crescent.
The handle was large enough for Giles to grip it with both hands. However,
despite the length and thickness, the sword's wielder moved it around
as if it were light as a feather.

"Are you impressed yet?" Giles asked, his voice impatient.

"Yes!" the two Asteroid Senshi replied, raising their hands
in the universal gesture of surrender and backing off. "We're impressed!
We're impressed!"

"Then," Giles growled, his voice like an enraged lion, "LEAVE!"

Sailors Akis and Jares knelt down quickly, facing their queen. "We're
so sorry, Queen Neherenia-sama! We are no match for him! Please forgive
us! PLEASE!"

Neherenia ignored the two, not tearing her eyes off of the tall, blond
man in front of her. "Humph!"

"Bai-bai!" the Asteroid Senshi cried, then held hands, concentrated,
and vanished in a puff of grey smoke.

"Go home, like them, and I might forget I saw you,"
Giles added, tilting his sword for emphasis. "Now."

Terra rubbed her injured shoulder as she watched Neherenia's scowl return
and the dreaded black lightning crackle between her long-nailed fingers.

"This is your last chance, Rennie," Giles insisted.

Neherenia, the Dark Moon Queen, laughed. "No, Giles. It is yours!"
She clenched her teeth, drawing her lips back, and put all of her strength
into her assault.

*KRACK!* The lightning zigzagged toward the tall man.

Unflinching, Giles turned the flat of his blade to face the strike.

*Whaa-shiiiiiiiiiink!* The dark energy reflected off of the sword's
surface and returned itself to its sender.

Neherenia blinked. "What?! This cannot be!" She crossed her
arms protectively in front of herself.

*BZZRRRRRRT!!!* The young woman skidded back on her feet as her
own energies were turned against her.

"NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Neherenia screamed. She thrust
out her palm at Giles.

A series of black, shadowy rectangles sped toward the man. Once more,
he inclined his sword to intercept the attack.

*Bling!* The evil magicks didn't even get close to Giles, bouncing
off a barrier two meters away from him. The darkness in the rectangles
shifted to a blinding white and sped twice as fast back at Neherenia.

The pale woman only watched, agape, as her spell headed toward her. At
the last moment, she raised her hands to block it, but it was too late.
The magic slammed into her head-on.

*WHAAAAAAaa-SHIIIIIIIIIINK!!!* In the next instant, Neherenia's
inert form was enclosed in a large, white mirror. Then, mirror and all,
the pale woman vanished in a nebula of sparkling dust.

Giles paused to take a breath and swept his gaze around room to check
for additional threats. Finding none, he took up his scabbard and sheathed
his sword.

*SHHHHHHHHHHiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggk!*

The glowing crescent moon on the blond man's forehead decreased in luminosity,
reverting to a solid yellow color.

"The battle is over," Giles announced, placing the scabbard
on his back. He turned to kneel down by Terra. "The forces of good
triumph again, eh?"

Terra nodded slowly while the handsome man started to help her up.

"Can you walk?"

Terra checked her injured knee. She winced as she touched it and shook
her head.

*Rumble* The room started to shake and bits of stone fell from
the supports.

Giles carefully placed his arms under the small girl and lifted her up,
her head resting against the silken fabric of his vest. "Then I shall
carry you to safety, young Sailor Senshi."

Whoa…

Giggle. Drool. Giggle!

I like this guy!!!

He reminds me of
my last…

?!?!?!

Errr, elder Jupiter's
last… overfriendly upperclassman.

He's cute!

And he DOES look
kind of familiar, y'know.

Like we used to know each other in a past life or some junk?

Yeah…

Life is good!

YEAH!

I'm gonna live!
I'm gonna live! I'm gonna live!

And Starlight, you're gonna die. Horribly, slowly, and in ways that
even I cannot comprehend. And I can comprehend a LOT.

…?! WHAT!??

For insurrection and stupidity, you will be terminated.

?!!??!

But until I execute you, I have a job for you, since you're a free,
single bachelor now and've got a starship.

Uhhhh?!

Hunt down the Asteroid Senshi, Sailors Jares and Akis.

Errr, they're already on the run. They'll never
trouble us again.

Unless they blab to someone else about what we did. We don't want
any evidence or witnesses lying around, do we?

…

Now, be a naughty little minion and slaughter them brutally for me,
will you?

…

Dismember anyone they may have told, while you're at it.

…But…!

There's a nice chap. Jolly good!

I've already lost my… Sailor Pluto. I'd lose my
commission and blow our cover if I were to do such a thing.

Make it look like an accident, then!

…

Do it or face the penalty.

…

Good lad. Off you go, run back to your starship like a wounded puppy
with your tail between your legs, blast off, and get those pesky Asteroid
Senshi for us.